SHA mural captures concept of family literacy

For Ludlow artist Rachel Saloio, the mural-sized painting ‘Community’ is nothing short of a labor of love.

Saloio was commissioned by the Springfield Housing Authority this summer to paint a four-by-eight feet work of art to illustrate Talk/Read/Succeed!, the collaborative, family-based literacy initiative that has made strides in boosting and retaining reading levels among children at two family developments.

Her work on the project, done in SHA’s break room on the fourth floor of the Executive Offices at 60 Congress St., spanned about a month, and included much input from staffers eager to watch the process, and be a part of it.

The end result is a colorful, dynamic rendition of people, place, and a concept. “I want people to look at this and see that no matter who you are, or where you live, you have potential. You’re a good person,” Saloio said. “When you’re young, when you’re a child, you need to believe that.”

Saloio’s painting has been framed by Rick Mauran and is hanging in the fourth-floor conference room at SHA’s headquarters. It will be unveiled before the Board of Commissioners and guests on Tuesday Sept. 15 at 4 p.m.

Ms. Fuller has spent her career in marketing and advertising and her non-working hours as a volunteer for non-profits doing fundraising, marketing, capacity-building, and generally, whatever has needed to be done! The organizations she has worked with in the Greater Springfield area range from WGBY, Public Television for Western Massachusetts to Girl Scouts to Springfield School Volunteers to the Springfield Day Nursery to the Greater Springfield Mentoring Partnership to local colleges.